10 year jewellery anniversary

Happy jewellery anniversary to me!

It’s been 10 years since I left my publishing career to start making jewellery and boy does it feel like time really does fly! Thank for your being here and supporting me on this journey!

Here are 10 things I’ve learned about switching careers and running my own business:

  1. I used to constantly wish I had started making jewellery sooner but I’ve come to realize that wasn’t what I was meant to do. After highschool, I thought about following in my dad’s footsteps and becoming a jeweller but I didn’t. I often think about how much farther along in my jewellery career I would be if I had started ten years sooner. I would be celebrating 20 years in the industry now! But my life wasn’t meant to be that way and I love a lot of the experiences I had in my publishing career days so I’m happy things worked out the way they did.

  2. I used to put a lot of pressure on myself to be as good as my dad but I’ve realized that his skill level is something that took him a long time to learn and as such might take me a long time to learn!

  3. Adding to that, I may never be as good as my dad. That used to really make me stress about not starting my jewellery career sooner. I felt like I wasted ten good years. But here’s the thing, I don’t have to be as good as my dad! I can be good in my own way!

  4. My style is evolving and that is ok! Sometimes I wish I had a more pronounced jewellery style but I think my lack thereof is what has taught me what I know and what has helped me succeed. Because I haven’t stuck to a certain style, I can do and learn more!

  5. Although we learn through trial and error, it’s also ok to ask for help. Why spend 50 hours doing something when you could cut down that down to 20 hours simply be asking for help?!

  6. It’s ok to admit to people when you have no idea what you are doing. I used to be scared to tell people I didn’t know how to make what they wanted because it made me feel and sound like an amateur. But here’s the thing, a) there are people who specialize in certain aspects of jewellery making which means it’s actually smarter for me to contract them out as it saves me time and money, b) it actually gives customers peace of mind knowing that you’re bringing another expert on board , and c) it’s crazy to think that everyone can do everything!

  7. You can’t let peoples scarcity mindset get you down! I used to get really bummed when I tried making friends with other jewellers but they weren’t interested at all. Like why don’t they like me?! WHO CARES! The way they react to me is their problem, not mine.

  8. Which leads me to: GROWTH MINDSET! It really is the only way to succeed in business. I’ve gotten farther along in my jewellery career being positive, building relationships, and helping others than thinking I should keep everything I learn to myself because there isn’t enough pie to go around.

  9. Never take your peers for granted! This might seem obvious but over the years I have seen many people ask my dad for favours but then not return them. I have also seen how often people help my dad because he does people favours but more importantly, respects their time and pays them on time.

  10. Don’t forget to work ON your business! Sometimes we get so busy working in our businesses that we forget to work ON them. Working IN your business means getting the actual work done. Working ON your business means working on backend tasks like marketing, education, etc. You can only grow your business so much by working IN it. At some point you need to work ON it to successfully manage growth. As an entrepreneur, sometimes you might be embarrassed that you let certain aspects of your business go so long without managing them. It’s ok! You were working and getting the job done! But eventually those backend tasks have to get done and you can ask for help. Furthermore, don’t be surprised if those backend tasks need to be revisited every couple of years. When your style changes, maybe your website will too, etc. It’s all part of the entrepreneurs journey!

Do you have any important business tips/wisdom to add for anyone starting or resetting a business?

Heartspace Conversations with Shona Fraser: Part 3

Part three of my podcast with the lovely Shona is live! Have a listen here.

What we discussed:

  • How Covid affected my business

  • Supporting local

  • Growth Mindset

  • My Spring 2021 collection

And don’t forget to pop on over to her website here. You can also follow her on instagram here.

Heartspace Conversations with Shona Fraser: Part 2

Part two of my podcast with the lovely Shona is live! Have a listen here.

What we discussed:

  • Melting old jewellery to make new jewellery

  • How much jewellery you need for a custom piece of jewellery

  • The cleansing power for fire

And don’t forget to pop on over to her website here. You can also follow her on instagram here.

Personal Headshot Experience

I am not a fan of being in front of the camera. I am awkward and often end up with a shit grin. That being said, I LOVE photography and candid photos that capture an array of beautiful emotions.

Last year I joined a networking group with my friend Michele who is a branding and boudoir photographer (check out her website here). Michele and our group’s make-up artist Jenny (learn more about her services here) hosted a headshot event for our members, organized by our virtual assistant Jennifer (learn more about her services here).

Here’s a few things I learned that I hope might help anyone who feels as awkward as I do in front of a camera:

  1. Do some prep. I didn’t bring a back up outfit. I am most at ease in all black clothing and it’s what made me feel most like myself. But then when I got to the photo shoot, I wondered if maybe I should have brought a secondary outfit just to try. It doesn’t hurt to be over prepared.

  2. Be yourself. You will be most at ease being yourself.

  3. Be open to trying poses that might seem unnatural to you but actually suit you in photos. As much as you want to be yourself and unnatural poses might make you feel unlike yourself, it also doesn’t hurt to try!

  4. If you feel weird, tell the photographer because you also don’t want to feel so unnatural that you get in your head and then end up shit grinning your way through the rest of the photos. If a pose feels weird, tell the photographer. Michele was AMAZING at directing me on little details that I didn’t think of or at guiding me to try poses that I wouldn’t have otherwise thought of.

I am so happy with my experience that I actually want to do it again! Michele made me feel so comfortable that I didn’t have time to get into my own head. I am hoping to book a branding photo session with her in the near future and I am really excited about it!

2020: New things I tried

We often make goals to “try new things” or “be more spontaneous” but then do neither. Last year I kept a list of all the new things I tried to see how much I’m trying/learning/growing/etc. Considering the year was weird thanks to covid, I’m quite proud of myself for the things I tried!

Here are some of the new things I got around to:

(Business: this was the year to “pivot” and try new things! Covid changed the way a lot of people do business and I enjoyed exploring new ways to grow mine.)

Joined a few different networking groups (I was able to keep this up all year and it was a great source of motivation and accountability)

Started incorporating videos of myself in my instagram stories (I read an article that talked about how we are overloaded with images whereas videos make us pause because it’s a break in the overload)

Did a virtual interview with Michele Mateus Photography (see her website here).

Held my first instagram sale

Participated as an artist in the New West Cultural Crawl (October)

(Personal)

Started yoga (In January, I bought a yoga pass to work on strength and flexibility. Only used it until March but worth it!)

Tried a new fitness class (Orange Theory - this happened in January and I loved it! This is my usual style of workout)

Tried a float tank (After Orange Theory I tried a float tank. This was weird but also relaxing. I can see why people love it)

Bought a yellow sweater (I NEVER wear yellow but I was influenced by Jen Pistor - see her blog here)

What about you? Is there anything new you got around to trying in 2020? Is there anything new you’d like to try in 2021?